Trust
by Snowflower55
Summary: Berwald has never exactly been the socialite of the school. More often than not, his classmates are afraid of him and he tends to let them think what they want, he's already had enough trouble with putting his faith in others. But maybe not all people are so bad...Gakuen Hetalia, mostly Nordics, some romance on the side.
1. Chapter 1

It's not as if he didn't hear what they said.

"You know the new kid? I heard he got kicked out of his old school for fighting."

"Damn, he's scary. I mean, he never smiles, and he always looks like he wants to kill you."

"I feel sorry for the guy that gets on his nerves."

"That guy is so weird. He never talks...Shhh, I think he's looking!"

"He probably kills things for fun."

"What a freak."

They had been talking like that for years. Everywhere he went, he always heard the same hushed whispers behind his back. He was used to it by now. Even so, no matter how many times he told himself that, it still left a stinging feeling in his chest. It had dulled over time, but never really vanished.

"Mr. Oxen-oxy-ugh, Berwald." The math teacher managed to choke out. The other students in the class giggled annoyingly as Berwald looked up from staring at his notes.

"Hm?" he grunted.

"Do you have the answer?" the teacher asked, obviously annoyed. Berwald starred at him blankly. Seeing as this was calculus class, he couldn't help but be bored into oblivion, and the teacher wasn't a very good one anyway, so Berwald had drifted off into his thoughts. Berwald quickly evaluated the risk of asking the teacher what the question was in the first place. Seeing as many of the morons in his class did the same on a regular basis, he deemed the act safe.

"What's th'question?" he asked calmly. His teacher sighed heavily (a rather exaggerated effort, Berwald noted).

"Mr. Oxenstierna, listen next time so you don't make a fool of yourself." he said. The vultures sitting around Berwald looked at him, but Berwald just sighed and again lowered his head to stare at his papers. Several minutes later, the bell announcing the end of class rung out, and the students quickly gathered their things and filed out of the classroom. His books in his left hand, Berwald slowly walked out of the room and into the hall, nonchalantly looking both ways down the hallway, and then turning right on the route to his next class. He momentarily stopped at his locker and entered the combination. A dulled 'click' rang out, and he opened it to scrounge through the locker's contents. As he searched for the proper books, a girl talking to her friend accidentally bumped into him.

"Oh, sorry-" she said as she turned. She cringed as she saw who he was. "I-I'm so sorry! I…I didn't watch where I was going..." she then walked off, head bent, her friend in tow. Berwald sighed, took out his books, and closed his locker.

…

"Hey, Nik!" called a tall blonde boy with an unkempt appearance about him as he put his arm around Nikolai's shoulder. Nikolai finished adjusting his hairclip and looked at his…Whatever he was with the same apathetic look as always.

"D'ya hear the news?" the taller of the two asked.

"Does it look like I care?" Nikolai replied. As usual, the other ignored his cutting remarks and went on.

"Apparently we're all getting a big physics project." He said. "Won't that be fun?" he said with just a hint of sarcasm.

"Ode to joy…" Nikolai replied.

"And we have to have partners, no exceptions." He said. "Seeing as we don't have the same teacher, there's no chance of us being paired up." He sighed. Nikolai rolled his eyes.

"What a shame." He said.

"Second to you, I hope I get some hot chick." He said, smiling his trademark grin. Nikolai, just a tiny bit offended, perhaps, pushed the other boy's arm away before walking away.

"Aw, Nik, y'know I'm kidding!" the other said, only half believing himself as he ran after Nikolai.

...

Berwald took his usual seat in the back of Ms. Bathory's third period physics. He rather liked Ms. Bathory, she was a kind, intelligent woman that always somehow managed to perfectly balance listening and speaking, a thing Berwald found very difficult not only for himself but humanity in general.

"Good morning, class." She said as cordially as ever. "As many of you seem to have heard, I'm going to assign you all a project that will count for half of your grade this quarter." She said. Most of the students exchanged looks, having silent one-ups or conversations, but Berwald just stared forward.

"I'm also going to be assigning you all partners." She said. At this point, most of the students began exchanging somewhat panicked expressions. Being assigned a partner was never a good thing for someone who stuck with two or three people in their own little caste. Berwald, however, trusted in her judgment. She knew him well because she was a friend of his mother's, and he was certain she would put him with someone he could get along with.

"Here are the partners:" she began. "Elizabveta Hedervary and Roderich Edelstein." She said. Elizaveta smiled at Roderich nervously, it was a well-known fact by everyone by Roderich that she had a huge crush on him. Without looking up from her list, Ms. Bathory continued.

"Basch Zwigli and Heracles Karpusi" Basch looked over at his partner, who happened to be sleeping at the time, and practically hit his head on the desk.

"Toris Laurinaitis and Felix Lukasiewicz" Toris didn't know whether to feel lucky that he was with a friend or unlucky because he knew it was going to be hard to get Felix to do his fair share.

"Berwald Oxenstierna," she said perfectly, being one of the very few teachers in the school that could pronounce his name correctly. "And Matthias Kohler."

For all Berwald knew, Ms. Bathory might as well have been sending him to the guillotine. He glanced over at Matthias very quickly, and his stomach practically sank to the floor. Matthias smiled back his trademark grin, a little disappointed that he didn't get partnered with a hot girl like he wanted, but at least he was with someone he could respect. Berwald, sadly, didn't return the sentiment. From what Berwald had observed, Matthias was little more than a loudmouth troublemaker. He put his face in his hand and sighed quietly. The next few weeks were going to be long and probably excruciatingly annoying.

* * *

Why is it that I can spell and say 'Oxenstierna' but not 'Lukasiewicz'? How do any of the teachers get through the day without messing up on their student's names? *sigh*

Yes, it's true. Denmark is my second favorite Nordic. So...Yeah, don't think I hate him or anything in the next few chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, today, you'll use the remainder of the period to discuss your projects with your respective partners." Ms. Bathory said after explaining the basics of the requirements. "I'm passing out a sheet with the requirements and specificities for your convenience. If you don't know your partner well, use this time to get to know them better." She said. "You may all move to sit next to your partner." She said. Reluctantly, the students began a game of musical chairs, all silently deciding who would stay at their spot and who would move with little more than a glance. Matthias looked over at Berwald, and, seeing as he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, stood from his place and took the recently vacated seat that a tall brunette girl had previously occupied next to Berwald's desk.

"So dude, you're Berwald, right?" he said. "I'm Matthias. I've heard a lot about you." He said.

"Hm." Berwald mumbled.

"So…Did ya have anything in mind for the project?" Matthias asked. Berwald shook his head.

"No?...Me neither…" he said as he looked down in concentration. "Oh, I got it!" he said as he looked up as though a light bulb had just been turned on over his head. "How about something with a pendulum?" he said. Berwald sighed.

"Already been done." He said.

"No, no, no, I mean something different!" Matthias said. "Not sure what yet, but something…" he said.

This one-sided conversation went on for quite some time, and Berwald honestly wondered if once this guy got started if there was any way to shut him up. Did he _ever_ stop talking?

Finally, the bell signifying Berwald's freedom from his moronic jailer cried out. He quickly stood and made his way to the teacher's desk.

"So…Yeah." Matthias said, getting up and leaving the room.

Berwald waited at Ms. Bathory's desk as stoically as ever. She noticed him quickly and smiled before greeting him.

"Hello, Berwald." She said. "How's your mother doing?"

"Fine." He said.

"Ah, good. I need to invite the two of you over for dinner again sometime." She said.

"Ms. Bath'ry…" he said.

"What is it, Berwald?" she asked.

"…It's about th' partners." He said. "I wan' a partner change."

"I'm sorry Berwald, but I can't do that. I know it's difficult for someone like you, but you've got to learn to deal with other people, no matter how different from you they may be. Besides," she said. "I think you and Matthias will be good for each other." He looked at her, raising an eyebrow in confusion. She laughed.

"I know he doesn't show it much, but Matthias is actually a very smart boy. He's just afraid that the others make think less of him if he always acts like that. And you're very quiet and also thoughtful. You two could learn from each other, Berwald." She said. Berwald stared at her, wondering if the poor woman had finally cracked under the influence of the idiocy of the people she had to deal with every day.

"…M'kay." He said before turning away, knowing that arguing would get him nowhere. "See ya' later." He finished.

"Goodbye, Berwald. I hope you have a good day." She said, waving.

'_I know you must think I'm crazy, Berwald, but trust me. You'll find out for yourself soon enough…_' she thought before beginning preparations for the next class. As Berwald entered the hallway, he saw said boy in question waiting for him in the hallway.

"Hey." He said, smiling. "So, dude, what do ya wanna do the project on?" he said. Berwald shrugged his shoulders and continued on his way. "Hey, wait up!" Matthias called. Berwald ignored him until Matthias stood in front of him, blocking his way. "There isn't much time to talk now, so let's talk about it at lunch, 'k?" he said. Berwald looked at him a bit questioningly. How long had it been since he sat with someone at lunch?...  
"So…See ya' then." Matthias said before straightening his tie and walking off, throwing his hand up as a sort of wave. Berwald sighed heavily and trudged on to his next class.

…

"Uh…So, Nikolai." Said a diminutive, rather feminine looking boy as he rung his hands.

"Hm?" Nikolai replied calmly.

"I, uh…Was wondering." He began. "Maybe since we're partnered together and all, we should sit together at lunch?...To talk about the project? I mean, I know we've kind of drifted in the past two years, but…" he asked. Nikolai thought on this quietly.

"Sure, if you don't mind sitting with Matthias." Nikolai replied calmly.

"Matthias?..." the smaller asked.

"Yeah. The loud-mouth that always wears ties." He said.

"Right, I remember him. Of course I don't mind." Tino said.

"Huh, I'm sure you'll change your mind by the end of the day…" Nikolai said before making his way to his next class. He paused as though he forgot something and turned back. "Oh, and Tino?" he said.

"Yes, Nikolai?"

"Bring some ear plugs or something." He said, and then turned back. For a moment, Tino stood there, just a tad bit confused. If Matthias really was as annoying as Nikolai claimed, then why did he bother hanging out with him? Some people were so hard to understand. However, he decided that it would be an invasion of Nikolai's privacy to ask him when they barely knew each other nowadays, so he dropped the thought and continued his trek to his next class. On his way, he noticed Eduard and his so-called little brother, Raivis.

"Hey, Eduard." Tino smiled warmly as said boy and his companion turned to look.

"Oh, hey Tino." Eduard said before waving. Raivis smiled and waved, but not much else. Raivis was just in 7th grade, so his path inherently didn't cross much with Tino's (or many highschoolers at all), but his maturity put him far above most of Tino's classmates and he was very intelligent. However, even for a 7th grader, he was very small, so he was often picked on by his classmates due to the fact that Raivis' timid nature prevented him from fighting back.

"Have you been to physics yet?" Tino asked.

"No, why?" Eduard asked.

"We're getting partners for this huge project we have to do." He said. "The teacher is assigning us our partners." At this bit of news, Eduard practically froze like a rabbit about to have its head taken off by a wolf.

"Oh, God, I don't think I can stand being partnered up with another jerk." He said, sighing. Tino nodded sadly, knowing Eduard had had plenty of bad luck with school partners in the past.

"Well, you can try to trade." Tino said.

"Who's your partner?" Raivis asked.

"Nikolai Bondevik". Tino replied.

"S-Seriously?" Raivis said, practically shaking. "B-but he's so scary…Almost as scary as that Berwald guy!" he said.

"He…He's not so bad. He…He's nice. We used to be casual friends. We're going to sit together at lunch to talk about the project." He said. At this point, both boys stared at him, horrified beyond belief.

"B-but why?" they said.

"He really isn't that bad…"

"I heard he's into witchcraft!" Eduard said.

"You don't know that…" Tino said, more the reassure himself than anything else.

"Y'know that guy Matthias? He chokes him by his tie when he gets annoyed with him." He said. Ok, that was a little…Unsettling.

"But…He was nice to me. He's not a bad guy…At least, he doesn't seem to be." Tino said.

"Just be careful, Tino. Whatever you do, don't make him angry." Eduard said. Suddenly, the minute bell rang and the three boys hurriedly went their separate ways.

* * *

AN: Making Berwald and Tino partners would have been too…I don't know. Perfect? Unrealistic? Meh, maybe it's just my wanting to make everything so difficult for our boys.

I usually hate people that act like Tino, Raivis, and Eduard did. The kind of people that shove others away without giving them a chance to prove themselves. But I love Raivis, and Tino and Eduard are ok. And I guess they have reason to be like that.

And for you Iceland lovers, don't worry, he'll come along soon.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Christ, sorry it's been so long since I've updated. Sorry guys. My one excuse: Tumblr (Curse you Victoria, for getting me hooked!)

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hopefully, it was worth the wait...

* * *

Berwald hadn't taken Matthias seriously when he said they would sit together at lunch. To be honest, it had kind of slipped his mind by the time he walked into the lunchroom and was heading over to his usual table. Matthias, who was already sitting, stood and waved him over. Berwald glanced at him awkwardly and then ignored him.

"This guy is really playing hard to get." Matthias said sarcastically to no one in particular. Nikolai rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Nikki, didn't you have a friend named Berwald when you were a kid?" Matthias said, turning to the smaller boy. Tino was a bit surprised that Matthias knew something like that about Nikolai, he didn't talk about himself much, or at all, really.

"Yeah." Nikolai said.

"This guy's a lot like you." Matthias said as he stood. Tino felt a tad bit more nervous. He remembered Berwald, who honestly didn't seem like such a bad guy, but did he always have to be so scary? And two quiet, scary guys that always looked angry at the same table?...

Nikolai simply 'hmph'ed and turned back to Tino.

"So…You have any ideas?" Tino said, trying to keep his cool.

"A couple…" Nikolai said, but stopped short. He was staring intently in Tino's direction. Needless to say, this made Tino all the more nervous.

"Uh…Do I have something on my face?..." Tino asked. Nikolai shook his head. Tino turned around to see what was essentially a mini Nikolai with lighter hair that was styled different. While Nikolai's hair was ultra-blonde, the boy's was a very light gray, almost white like snow. His violet eyes were just as piercing as that of Nikkolai's, his stare just as intense. Tino nervously looked from one boy to the other, wondering if the two were somehow communicating telepathically.

"You want to sit with us?" Nikolai finally asked. The smaller boy looked away and nodded slightly, and Nikolai moved over to make a seat for him. The boy sat next to him silently, his eyes never moving from the ground.

"Uh…" Tino uttered.

"This is my little brother, Emil." Nikolai finally said as though he just remembered Tino was there.

"Oh…" Tino said, smiling. "Hi, Emil. Nice to meet you." Tino said. Emil's eyes met him for a short moment and then darted away.

"He's…Shy." Nikolai remarked. Tino nodded.

…..

"Dude, did you see me?" Matthias asked as he stood before Berwald.

"Hm."

"Dude, come on. Don't tell me you actually want to sit by yourself?"

Berwald didn't answer.

"Come on, dude." Matthias said, grabbing the taller boy by his collar. "You're sitting with us whether you like it or not." He said. Berwald sighed, pulled Matthias' arm away from his collar, rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He said, going back to get his stuff. "Where we sittin'?" he asked after catching up with Matthias.

"Over there." Matthias said, pointing. Once Berwald's eyes followed the direction Matthias was pointing in, he fell into a state of disbelief. "What?" Mattias asked.

"Nikolai?..." Berwald said to himself.

"You know Nik?" Matthias asked.

"We were bes' friends as kids." Berwald replied. Matthias laughed loudly (drawing a couple of stares, but most of them had already been staring at the two already) and grabbed Berwald's arm, dragging him over to the table.

"Hey, Nikki, look who I got!" Matthias said, practically pushing Berwald in front of him. Nikolai's usual blank expression was replaced by one of mild shock when he saw Berwald.

"Berwald, is that you?..." Nikolai asked.

"Hey, Nik." Berwald said. At this point, even Emil was at least mildly interested, his eyes darting from his brother to Berwald.

"You remember Berwald, don't you, Emil?" Nikolai asked his brother. Emil nodded.

"Uh…" Tino managed to utter.

"Makes sense, doesn't it Tino?" Matthias suddenly said. "These two being friends when they were kids? They both act like girls that are always on their periods…" Matthias said. Nikolai went for Matthias' tie almost instantly, Berwald managing to restrain himself from strangling his partner. "See?..." Matthias managed to choke out before Nikolai released his grip on the taller boy's tie.

"How ya been?" Berwald asked.

"Fine."

"Hm." Silence.

"So…How do you two know each other?" Tino asked. Berwald looked at him, surprised that Tino would be sitting with Matthias. He wanted to say hi, but found himself too nervous to. Why was Tino always so hard for him to talk to? He was the only other student Berwald ever went out of his way to leave a good impression on.

"We were neighbors. We went to the same school and everything. But then…" Nikolai looked over to Berwald. "…Some things happened, and Berwald and his mom had to move because they couldn't afford to live there anymore."

"Why?" Matthias asked, oblivious to Nikolai's insinuation of the fact that the subject was very touchy. Nikolai sighed.

"Like I'd tell you." Nikolai said.

"Aw, come on!" Matthias said. Nikolai reached for Matthias' tie.

"Ok, ok, I'll shut up about it!" Matthias pleaded. Nikolai slowly and reluctantly released his grip and rested his strangling arm on the table.

"God, you're even taller now." Nikolai mused.

"I guess…" Berwald replied.

"God, you two are so boring when you talk!" Matthias said, as he nearly collapsed into his seat next to Nikolai. Without thinking, Berwald sat next to Tino.

"Uh…Hi, Berwald…" he said nervously. Berwald looked over to him.

"Hey…" he said. After the formalities were over, Tino smiled anxiously and turned to look at Nikolai, Berwald following suit.

"So, where do you live now, Berwald?" Nikolai asked.

"Little apartment with m'mom." Berwald said. "S'okay."

"We moved near school a few years ago." Nikolai said.

"You heard anythin' fro-"

"No." Nikolai replied quickly, averting his gaze. Picking up on the uneasiness in the air, Tino mustered the courage to step in.

"It's pretty funny that we all know each other, eh?" Tino said.

"More like someone set it up…Like some kind of force that's using us for its convenience…" Emil finally said. The other four boys looked at him, a little surprised. Emil sighed and looked down to his sandwich again. "It's true…" he mumbled before taking another bite. Nikolai stared intently at Berwald, his gaze saying it all.

'_You remember he's been like this since he was little…'_

"So, anyway, you two going to stop staring at each other and make out or what?" Matthias said inappropriately. This time, Berwald couldn't keep himself from going for Matthias' neck.

* * *

AN: If there's one thing I've learned from personal experience, it's that high school boys do not like being compared to girls on their period. At all.

To me, Berwald and Nikolai seem like the kind that would be really close friends.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Guys, I am seriously grinning like an idiot (or, maybe to put it better, like Matthias) as I type this. Your reviews and support really, really, really mean a lot to me…Even though I'm mean and I keep making you all wait because I'm kind of bouncing between Hetalia, Homestuck, and Pokemon right now. But…Thank you. Oh! And if anyone's confused: Berwald and all the Nordics are in 11th grade but Emil, who's in 8th.

* * *

"So, uh…Berwald." Tino managed to choke out as they left the lunchroom and Tino noticed that Berwald was habitually walking off by himself.

"Hm?" Berwald mumbled as he gazed at Tino intently.

"You have history next?...Right?..." Tino asked. Berwald nodded. "Then, uh…Let's go together. It would be rude of me to just leave you by yourself when we're heading in the same direction."

Berwald was just a bit surprised, perhaps pleasantly surprised.

"…'K." he said as he waited for Tino to get everything off of the table and catch up with him.

"So…You, uh…" Tino said mindlessly, groping for a subject to ease the awkwardness he felt. "Live in an apartment?..." he finally said, mentally smacking himself soon after.

'_What kind of question was THAT?' _he thought.

"…Yeah." Berwald answered.

"Oh." He said.

"Why d'ya sit wi'them?" Berwald asked.

"I'm partners with Nikolai." Tino replied.

"D'he warn ya 'bout Matthias?..." Berwald asked.

"Er…Yeah. But Matthias is a good guy." Tino said. Berwald stared at him in a way that was supposed to come off as mild curiosity, but his solemn appearance coupled with Tino's somewhat distorted view of him made it seem even more intimidating for the smaller of the two.

"I mean!...He's not the most amazing person in the world and I'm sure he's made mistakes and stuff, but he honestly isn't that bad!..." Tino managed to say on one breathe.

"Yeah…I guess…" Berwald said.

"You…Really don't like him, don't you?..." Tino asked. Berwald shook his head. "Can I ask why?..." Berwald shrugged.

"'S…Annoyin'. How 'e's always bein' loud 'nd stuff…"

"Loud people bother you?..." Tino asked.

"Yeah…" Berwald replied.

"Oh…"

"Y' know Nik?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah. We were friends when we both started here. It was kind of scary, y'know? Being the new kid and not knowing anyone?...But, I'm sure you know that, since you're new here this year and all." Tino said.

"Hm." Berwald agreed.

"But, he was always a nice guy. We just started hanging out with other people that we had more in common with and…You know how that works." Tino said.

"Kinda."

"But…You two were friends when you were little? That's so cute." Tino said before he could catch himself. He practically threw his hands up in a defensive stance. "But, I didn't mean it in a weird way or anything 'cause…You know." Tino said.

"S'okay." Berwald said.

"I…Thanks." Tino said after smiling. Berwald found himself silently remarking 'cute' without meaning to. It's not like he restrained it or anything, he was way past feeling insecure over being homosexual and the painful years of torture at the hands of homophobes during middle school, but it had just kind of randomly crossed his mind.

"Nik an' I did jus' about everthin' together."

"It's nice to have a friend like that."

"Hm." More awkward silence.

"Perhaps it's not my place to ask…" Tino started. "But…Do you know much about Emil?..." Tino asked.

"'S always been like that." Berwald said. Tino wondered if Berwald was getting sick of him, so he spent the rest of the walk to class in a silent trance. When they got there, they entered the room together, and as several of the students turned to see who had entered, they were just a tad bit surprised. Or perhaps a better way to describe it was mind-numbingly shocked. As usual, Berwald failed to notice and headed straight for his desk, but Tino waved nervously, particularly to Eduard, whose mouth was literally agape.

'_Yeah, he's still scary.' _Tino's gaze said as he took his seat. _'But he's nice. He doesn't mean anyone any harm…I don't think.'_

…

After his brother took a deep breath and reluctantly headed back over to the middle school area and he and Matthias parted ways for separate classes, Nikolai was finally alone with his thoughts. It's not that he minded company, he just liked being alone, that's all. Of course, most company around here wasn't worth the time, so he usually avoided it altogether.

"Hello, Witch Boy." Called out a voice that to Nikolai, was like a ragged pair of cat claws scraping down a blackboard. Instead of turning to acknowledge him, he continued on, acting as if he didn't even hear him.

"Hey, Witch Boy, listen to me when I talk to you!" it called more loudly, running to catch up with Nikolai. Nikolai soon found the arm of a boy significantly taller than himself around his shoulder in a manner that suggested friendship, but Nikolai knew better than that. His cold violet eyes turned toward the arm's owner for a millisecond before darting back in front of him.

"You been getting into anymore black magic crap lately?" the other asked sarcastically. Nikolai cringed inwardly. Christ, did these people _ever _let off? As soon as you publicly admit you like the fantasy genre and that you think Gandalf the wizard is cool, you're branded as a cult maniac for life.

"Screw off." Nikolai said as matter-of-factly as ever.

"Skinned any cats?" Nikolai's eyebrows almost furrowed. He liked cats.

"Screw. Off."

"Or what? You'll curse me?" the bully asked before throwing Nikolai against the lockers he happened to be walking by. Only a few students even bothered to look, and most only made quick glances before returning to their own self-absorbed thoughts.

"Don't ignore me again, Witch Boy." He said before turning to walk away.

"Jackass…You can go die for all I care…" Nikolai muttered before picking himself up and going on his way as though nothing had happened, with no evidence for the contrary except a new ugly bruise forming on the pale skin of Nikolai's shoulder.

* * *

AN: Tino sure does say 'uh' a lot, doesn't he? And Matthias' word is dude. Maybe I should assign them all little tic words…Hm…Nah. Anyway if my traffic graph is right, then I'm apparently getting quite a few Swedish visitors. For this story, they're second only to Americans. You Swedes sure must love your English fanfiction… Or your Hetalia representative…Or both, I honestly don't know. And you Finns. I'm watching you, just barely behind the Swedes…*shifty eyes, wonders if some international conspiracy is going on*

Also, now there's some part of me that wants to call Nikolai 'Klarion' because he's called 'witch boy'. If anyone gets what that's from, I will love you forever (and perhaps we can fangirl (or if you're a guy, fanboy) over it together sometime?).

And one more thing: The dumbass bullying poor Nikolai isn't any Hetalia character. I couldn't bring myself to make any of them mean, and really, who would have a bone to pick with Nikolai besides some complete jerk?


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Kaoru is Hong Kong, so…Yeah. It'll make sense in a minute.

* * *

As is expected in any school between periods, the hallways were crowded with an unspecified number of students, all (or, at least, most) making their way to class and hoping to catch up on any social issues without being late. Not Emil, though.

No, Emil simply kept his eyes down and quickly walked from starting point to destination, not speaking with anyone or being spoken to in turn. Today, his best and perhaps only friend Kaoru was absent again. He knew that Kaoru's 'family' (if you could call it that) was having serious issues, and had been for a while, but Kaoru himself had said how much he hated being home, and more than once had he stayed the night at Emil's house without asking either of his parents first.

Emil sighed. Thinking about it would get him nowhere; he would just have to tough today out and pray that Kaoru would be here tomorrow. Until then, he was alone. He silently cursed the age gap between himself and his own brother Nikolai just before walking into his next class. No one bothered to look at him as he made his way to his assigned seat, sitting down as quietly as he had arrived, just like always.

…

The rest of the day passed in a rather nondescript manner, at least for Berwald. He found Tino waving him off with a slightly nervous smile before leaving after school. Just as he was about to open the door and step out into temporary freedom, a familiar voice again called to him.

"Berwald?" it asked calmly. Berwald turned around to see his old friend Nikolai with Emil (whose gaze was as distant as ever) walking towards him.

"Yeah, Nik?" Berwald asked.

"It's nice, going to the same school again and all." Nikolai said. "You should come over some time."

"Thanks.'ll ask m'mom." Berwald said. They just kind of stood there for a minute, not really knowing what else there was to say, but not really minding the silence, that is, until Emil tugged on Nikolai's arm.

"We should go. Our mom hates it when we don't go straight home."

"She still scary when she's mad?"

"You have no idea." Nikolai replied. "But it's ok." he said before turning. "See you."

"Bye." Berwald said before heading out the door and for the sidewalk.

...

After a twenty minute walk, Berwald found himself at his apartment complex. He managed to fish his keys out of his pocket before he got to the door and as he stepped in, he was greeted by his dog Hanatamago. No, not his mother's dog, not the family dog, HIS. Berwald had always imagined having a big dog, but when he saw her at the shelter a few years ago, he fell in love with her almost instantly.

"Hey, Hana." He said as he pet her head. He dropped his bag next to the couch and was tempted to collapse on the piece of furniture to hibernate for a few hours, but he knew there was still work to be done. He immediately went into the small kitchenette (trailed by Hanatamago the whole time, of course) and checked the clock, which read 3:32. He pulled a recipe book from a drawer next to the fridge and turned to a dog-eared page before mentally cataloging the ingredients and gathering them on the counter before returning to the book.

...

"Berwald?" called a soft voice from the front room. Hanatamago's ears perked up as she trotted to the living room. Berwald looked up at the clock again. 4:47 PM. Impeccable timing. He put the bowl down on the table and followed Hanatamago into the living room, where a tall woman with long blond hair with a relaxed smile stood, lavishing affection on Hanatamago.

"Have you been a good girl today?" she asked the dog before turning to Berwald and smiling all the wider.

"Hey mom." he greeted before hugging her.

"Hello, Berwald. How was your day?" she asked before hugging him back.

"Fine." he said, stepping back towards the kitchenette.

"Yours?"

"Good." she said. "Tiring, but good." Berwald noted the dazed expression his mother always had when she was exhausted.

"Y'hungry?" he asked.

"Very. You made dinner again?" she asked. He nodded.

"Oh, Berwald, you don't have to do that."

"'S only fair..." he replied. She smiled.

"Thank you, dear. But really, you don't have to. I don't mind cooking..." she said. Berwald quickly allotted Hanatamago her daily portion of kibble in her dish and made her sit before giving it to her, then set the food down on the table.

"It smells nice." his mother said before sitting down and tasting it. "Very good. Better than mine, I think."

Much of the rest of the meal was spent in blessed silence, not due to tension or awkwardness, but because of the confidence mother and son had in each other's company. Besides, where did you think Berwald got his disposition anyway, out of thin air?

"Y'remember Nikolai?" Berwald randomly said. His mother looked up to him, a little surprised, but not unpleasantly so.

"Your old friend?" she asked. He nodded. "What about him?"

"He goes t'school w'me..." Berwald said.

"That's wonderful, Berwald." she said. "Maybe having a friend there will help you ease into the atmosphere better. I know that always helped me." she said.

"I dun care 'bout th'others." he said.

"Well, you shouldn't care what they think of you. But still, it's nice to have people to talk to." his mother said. "Anything else happen?"

Berwald groaned. "W'got a big projec' n' physics..." he said.

"Well, if you need my help, just ask."

"...W' were assigned partners. Ms. Bath'ry stuck me with n'idiot." he said.

"Who?"

"Matthias Kohler."

"Well...Don't call him an idiot, son."

"B'he is. 'E's the one tha' fell down th'stairs walkin' backwards." he said. His mother sighed.

"Well...Maybe he's just misunderstood. Trust me son, I've known Ms. Bathory for a long time, she must have a good reason to have put you two together."

"Hm, I guess." Berwald said, looking down at his plate.

"But...Berwald, until then, there's something I need to tell you." she said. Berwald's gaze rested on her as she spoke.

"We've been approved to take care of a foster child." she said. For some reason, for the last two or three years, Berwald's mother had been set on being a foster parent. Berwald wasn't particularly for or against it, so they had both gone to training and background checks and a lot of other fun stuff. But hey, as long as the kid wasn't a brat and his mom was happy, it was ok by Berwald.

"But, there's one thing I need to know." she said. "Are you ok with it?" she asked.

"Ma, we' been over this before. 'm fine."

"And you don't mind sharing your room?..."

"No' really." he said.

"Alright." she said as she stood, taking her plate to the sink.

"Thank you, dear." she said before disappearing into the kitchenette to wash her plate and silverware off and put them in the dishwasher. By this time, Hanatamago had long scarfed her food down and was now resting contently at Berwald's foot. He reached down the scratch behind her ear.

"Berwald...I'm going to take a nap. If you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me up." she said before heading to her bedroom. Berwald sighed. His mother always wanted to take naps on particularly exhausting days. He silently cursed the fact that she had to work so hard just to support herself and her son.

"Bastard..." he said as he thought of the cause of all of his mother's current strife. He quickly finished his food and picked Hanatamago up to take her out for a short walk.

* * *

AN: No one ever thinks the big, 'scary' people will fall for little dogs...But then why is it that my little 'girly dog' mutt has me wrapped around her paw when I wanted a bulldog or a German Shepperd or SOMETHING along those lines?...It's like little dogs target us so they can make people stare at us when we walk them in the park...Or something.

Also, Berwald's mom was originally supposed to be a mute do to having to have a tumor surgically removed from her throat, but I found it hard to work with in a storytelling sense, so yeah. I like Berwald's momma. Am I allowed to say that?...


	6. Chapter 6

AN: *hits self* I'm so sorry! *falls over, dead* I...I really do love you guys...I do. It's not that I don't want to write this, this chapter just came to me very,_ very_ slowly. I can usually whip out chapters in a couple of days, but...I dunno. Anyway, I'm so sorry about the wait, and thank you so much for baring with me.

* * *

"Mom…We're home." Nikolai called quietly as he stepped into the house, his little brother Emil in tow.

"Did you boys have a good day?" their mother asked before coming into the front room. She was a rather petite woman with silver-blonde hair reaching a little past her shoulders, but she had a certain fire hidden behind her calm icy-blue eyes.

"Yeah." Nikolai replied. Emil nodded. "We found out Berwald goes to our school…" he added on. At this, their mother slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, your little friend? Good. How long has it been since he moved from our old neighborhood?..." she asked, walking back into the study.

"Seven years." Nikolai said. "And he isn't exactly little..."

"Hm." His mother replied thoughtfully. "I suppose he never really has been. But your father should be home in an hour. Are you boys hungry?"

"Kind of." Nikolai said. "I'm going to help Emil with his homework." He said as he walked towards his room, Emil following him.

"Alright." She said before turning back to her work.

Emil sat on his brother's bed without taking his backpack off. Nikolai closed the door and turned to look at his brother.

"Algebra, was it?" Nikolai asked calmly as he sat down next to his brother. Emil nodded slightly and took his text book from his backpack, flipping it to the relevant page.

Nikolai did most of the talking as he helped his little brother through the homework, but there wasn't anything particularly unusual about that. When Emil had finished, he handed the sheet to his brother to check it.

"So, was Kaoru not here today?" he asked without looking away from the paper. Emil looked to the floor.

"Yeah…I'm sorry." He said. Nikolai looked at his little brother.

"For what?"

"Bothering you." Emil replied.

"You never bother me." Nikolai said. "Hell, sometimes I wish you would ask me for more help. But you can always trust me or come to me when you feel alone or confused, alright?" he said, looking back at the math homework. Emil stared at the back of the paper.

"Thank you…" he muttered.

"That's what brothers are for, Emil." Nikolai stated.

…

"I'm home!" Matthias called as he dropped his backpack near the door. He received no answer, however. Realizing that the house was probably empty, he shrugged, walked into his room, and fired up the PS3. While playing 'Infamous 2', he found his mind wandering through the events of the day. He finally reached Berwald and smirked a bit. He honestly didn't know what to make of the guy. For one, he was interesting. He was definitely different then most of Matthias' acquaintances; quiet, solemn, perhaps just a bit intimidating to some. But at the same time, there was something about him that just very occasionally ticked Matthias off. All Matthias could tell right now was that Berwald would make an interesting frenemy, or at least someday he could tell his kids stories about his cranky high school physics partner that had more than once threatened his life. Yeah. That would make a good Christmas party story.

Before he knew it, he heard his mother calling his name.

"Matthias Lennart Kohler, did you forget to lock the door again?" she asked, grocery bags in hand, as he entered the room. So that's why she was late home from work. She went to the store.

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Eheheh...What are you going to do with me?" he asked. His mother shook her head.

"You've got to be careful Matthias."

"I know, mom. I just...Forget." he said.

"It's alright." his mother said. "To make up for it, how about you help me carry in the groceries?"

"Mom, I got it. You just got sit down or something."

"You sure, dear?" she asked. Matthias took the grocery bags from his mother's hands and signaled her off.

"Yeah, it's fine. Go relax or do whatever." he said. She smiled.

"Thank you, dear." she said.

"...Besides, I want first pick at what you got before dad hoards it all." he said.

"Oh, Matthias." she said.

"You've known him longer than me." Matthias said before disappearing into the kitchen.

...

"Aunt Sabina?..." Tino called quietly after entering the large house he called home. As he turned around to close the door behind him, he found himself being embraced in a tight bear hug, which was signature of only one person.

"Hi..." Tino said as he looked over his shoulder at the tall, imposing woman behind him.

"Oh, it's so good to have you home, dear!" she said as though she hadn't seen him in years.

"Nice to see you, too..." he said as he tried to hug her back. Perhaps the one thing he didn't like about his Aunt was the fact that she had no understanding of her own strength. "I...Can't...Breathe..." Tino choked out.

"Oh!" Sabina said before releasing him. "Sorry, dear." she said.

"It's...Ok." he said. To be honest, he had been absolutely terrified of the woman when he first moved in with her as a little kid; he had once or twice honestly thought she was trying to choke him to death. But of course, she proved to be very far from his original impression of her.

"So dear, how was your day?" she asked as she lead him to the next room and they sat down on the sofa.

"Fine." Tino said.

"Anything interesting happen?" she asked.

"I got partnered with an old friend for a physics project."

"Oh, wonderful! Which one?" she asked, honestly enthused.

"Nikolai Bondevik." he said.

"Oh, I remember him. Nice young man, you had him over a couple of times, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, good. It's the perfect opportunity to rekindle an old friendship." she said.

"We sat together at lunch. His brother and two friends of his were there, too."

"Who?" she asked.

"You don't know them. One's named Matthias, and the other's Berwald."

"Oh, I do know about Berwald. Haven't you mentioned him before?..." she asked.

"Yeah...A couple times. He's the quiet, kind of scary guy..."

"Oh Tino, don't say that." she said. "I'm sure he's just shy and misunderstood. I bet he could use a good friend like you."

"Hey and Nikolai we friends as kids."

"Oh, how nice." she said. "Is this Berwald boy by any chance handsome?" she asked.

"I...I guess? I don't know." Tino said nervously. His aunt laughed.

"Oh dear, you know I'm only joking." she said. Tino sighed inwardly.

"Oh...Yeah." he said.

"My, work has left my starving today." his Aunt remarked. "Say, how about we go out to eat? It's your turn to pick." she said, standing and going back to her room to change. Tino smiled and nodded.

"Ok. Sounds good." he said.

* * *

AN: Hnngh, brother love~If you've read pretty much any of my Hetalia stuff, you'll know I'm obsessed with sibling bonds. Why? Eh...I dunno. Maybe because I get along so well with my sister but my brother and I hate each other?

I love women like Emil and Nikolai's mom. All small and cute but serious and matriarchal at the same time. Heheh. Tino's aunt is basically a composite of my mother and aunt (who are sisters), except I've never been afraid of them, and neither are particularly strong, and I'm taller than both of them.

Also, guys, I just found out: Apparently, the Danish nickname for 'Matthias' is 'Mads'. You bet that's going to sneak it's way into the story.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Some heavy stuff coming up. Cursing, emotional abuse, intended physical abuse, and the word 'faggot' being flung around. So...Yeah.

* * *

_It was happening again._

"_Why don' ya jus' shut th'hell up?" he heard someone yell._

"_How dare you talk to me like that!" came the reply. _

_Berwald curled into his bed sheets, praying that it would end soon. But it never did. Ever since his dad had started drinking again, this happened almost every night. His father would come home late at night, yell at his mother for no good reason, and something awful would happen. To be honest, Berwald was surprised that his father hadn't already gotten him involved in the conversation, calling his son a 'little faggot' because two years ago, he had trusted him enough to confine in him the fact that he had a crush on a male classmate of his. _

"I's_ yer fault he's turned ou' li'this! Always takin' 'im t'yer Go'damn friend's house n' lettin' 'im play w' their pretty boy sons. Lettin' 'im lis'en t'yer bullcrap gossip…"_

"_What are you talking about? That has nothing to do with it! Being attracted to his own gender doesn't emasculate him, and besides, who are you to decide what kind of person he'll be and what being a boy details? You're such a bigot!"_

"_Shu'up! Go'damn, jus' shu'up!" at this point, Berwald heard glass shatter against the wall._

"_You're so drunk you couldn't even aim right? Or do you just naturally have terrible aim? You are a pathetic man and I have no idea what stupidity clouded my judgment when I agreed to marry you."_

"_Tha's it!" he said, stomping across the room and near Berwald's door. The knots in Berwald's stomach bunched up even tighter as his father threw the door open._

"_There ya are, ya' little fag!" he said. Berwald shut his eyes tight and pretended that he didn't exist. His father grabbed him from his bed and shook him violently. "How dare ya do th's t'me? How d'ya think I feel 'bout havin' a gay bastard fer a son, huh? D'you know how stupid y'are? Go'damn, yer smug little face ticks me off!" he said. Berwald briefly opened his eyes to see his father's fist pulling back. He closed them again, bracing himself for the impact. But it never came. Berwald opened his eyes when he heard his mother scream (something that was very rare of her), holding her husband's arm back._

"_Don't you DARE touch him!" she yelled, taking her son from his grasp and setting him down behind her, an expression of pure rage and maternal instinct spread across her features. Berwald buried his face in her long skirt and grasped it in his hands, finally feeling some measure of safety after more than an hour of emotional torment. "You've insulted me, tried to hit me, broken dozens of our belongings, and embarrassed me only God knows how many times, but you will NEVER lay a hand on my child!" she paused. "Get out." She said in a quiet tone relative to her earlier speech, but the statement still carried as much authority as before. _

"_Wha'dyou say t'me?" his father remarked._

"_GET OUT!" she yelled._

"_Like I'd wanna stay wi'a bitch an' her faggot son anyway!" he said, stumbling out of the room._

"_GET OUT!" she said, taking up a book and throwing it at him. At this point, Berwald had followed his mother into the living room, not really knowing what else to do, his eyes wide in shock. As he went out the door, his father turned to look back at him one last time, pure hatred in his eyes. He spat on the carpet and slammed the door behind him. They heard the engine of his car roar to life and speed off down the street to God-cares-where, and suddenly, Berwald's mother grew solemn._

"_Berwald?..." she said._

"_Yeah, ma?" he asked. She got on her knees and securely hugged her son._

"_I'm so sorry you had to see that. I made a fool out of myself…I'm so sorry…" she said before she quietly sobbed. Berwald hugged her back._

"_Ma…'M sorry fr' bein' a faggot…" he said._

"_Berwald, you are not…That." She said, almost sounding angry at the mere suggestion. "And you have no reason to apologize. It doesn't matter if you like boys or girls, you're my son, and I'll always love you. Don't ever apologize for who you are to anyone, Berwald, do you hear me? And don't make the same mistakes I have. Please, Berwald. Promise me." She said._

"'_K…I promis'." He said. His mother finally released her son, wiped the tears from his face, and forced a smile._

"_Honey, why don't you sleep in my room tonight? I have some things to take care of before I go to bed…" she said, standing and turning around to grab the phone._

"…'_K." he said, scurrying off to his mother's room. _

Berwald woke up in a cold sweat, lying on the couch, Hanatamago whimpering and pawing at his hand. As his eyes focused, he sat up and scooped the little dog up into his arms, cradling her securely. She picked up on his emotions and stayed as still as possible, cuddling up to his chest.

"'m never gonna be like him." He muttered into her ear. "'ll never hurt 'nyone like that. 'D rather die. 'hope th'bastard burns n'hell…" he said. Hanatamago whimpered quietly.

* * *

AN: Do not. Mess with. Berwald's momma. Or with Berwald, 'cause there will be hell to pay.

This one's kind of short, but eh. Hopefully, Berwald's father's speech comes on more slurred and heavy than his son's. At least...I tried to write it like that.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been quite some time since Nikolai had gone over the old tomes his father kept in the family library. They had been passed down from generation to generation, and hopefully someday they would be Nikolai's and Emil's to call their own.

But until then, he had to sneak them from the bookshelf and read them quietly in his room. The tomes told grand tales of heroes and gods and giants and everything in between. His parents used to read Nikolai and his brother whole chapters from these dusty old tomes, mainly at their request. Nikolai had chosen one of his very favorites, a very old copy of _'The Poetic Edda', _and now carefully flipped to a section detailing a certain part of Norse mythology that had always particularly fascinated him; Ragnarok, the Fate of the Gods.

The sun and the moon would be devoured, the stars would vanish, the world would be plunged in total darkness. Three roosters would appear: one would crow in the Helheim, one in Asgard, and one in Midgard that at the sound would raise the dead. A terrible series of earthquakes would rock the world from its bearings, and in the chaos, the monstrous wolf Fenrir would break free from his prison, bent on causing havoc and destruction.

In the end, only several gods and two humans would survive the pandemonium. In the end, there was no clear-cut 'winner' or 'loser'. Some might say good had triumphed over evil, but was the cost really worth it? What about the people and gods that had been lost in the conflict before? Was it worth it to them? For many, seemingly so. For the Vikings, their reward was in Asgard and the honor of fighting alongside Odin in the end. But they knew that in the end they too would perish, despite their alignment and efforts. They knew they would be fighting what was essentially a losing battle, and they accepted that fact because that short time in Asgard and the knowledge of having fought for the good of the world was reward enough for them.

The whole idea seemed like quite the lose-lose situation nowadays. In the end, it didn't really matter if you were good or evil; you would be destroyed along with all the others regardless. Nikolai didn't claim to be been brave or moral enough if he was to actually believe Ragnarok would be a real occurrence to find any comfort in this idea, but he found it very noble nonetheless.

"Nikolai, Emil, your father's home." Their mother called. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Nikolai gently closed the book and went to his door, opening it only a crack. The scent of his mother's cooking wafted into the room, and he had to admit that he hadn't packed a very substantial lunch for himself today. As he quietly closed the door behind him, he avoided the front room and weaved through the hall to go the long way through the family room-Only to find his efforts in vain as his father was sitting on the sofa, looking over some piece of paper while his younger son sat next to him.

His father looked quite substantially like his sons, or more accurately his sons like quite substantially like their father. His hair was a deeper blond than his wife or children's, his eyes a deep blue, always vigil; always alert. He rarely made any noticeable expression, and most people that didn't know him would have thought he was looking at his son's paper disapprovingly, but this was not the case.

"Good work, Emil." He said, handing the paper back to his younger son. The young boy quickly rose from his seat, muttered a 'thank you' and walked back to his room to put the paper in a safe place before eating. As Emil did this, his father's gaze followed him until he saw his older son in the doorway.

Neither men moved from their position, their gazes locked determinedly. Nikolai's father was the first to speak.

"Hello, Nik." His father said.

"Hey." He replied.

"Your mother told me you found an old friend at school today."

"Yeah. Berwald Oxenstierna." A short pause.

"Good, good." His father said.

"Anything interesting at work?" Nikolai inquired half-heartedly.

"No." his father replied.

"Food's ready." Mrs. Bondevik called out. Both men looked towards the dining room, briefly at each other, and simultaneously made their way to the kitchen to help her set the table.

…

"Hey dad!" Matthias called as he walked from the kitchen to greet his father at the door.

"Son, how was your day?" he said heartily, patting him on the back after a short, yet still manly hug.

"Fine, fine. Yours?"

"Great!" he said. "Honey, come here for a minute." He called.

"Just a minute." She said before she put something in the oven and set the timer.

"What is it, dear?" she asked as she walked in the room.

"You know that promotion I've been talking about?" he said.

"You got it?" his wife replied. Matthias' father swept the woman up in his arms bridal-style.

"Yep." He said, smiling the trademark grin he had passed down to his son.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she said. "Uh…Honey…Could you put me down?" she asked quietly when he failed to let her down.

"Yeah dad, you're making this real' awkward for me…" Matthias chimed in.

"Oh, sorry." He said, letting her down slowly.

"What do you want to do to celebrate?" Mrs. Kohler asked.

"Well, you've already made dinner…How about we go out to eat tomorrow night? Wherever you want, my treat?" her husband said.

"That sounds nice." She said.

"Uh…Mom…?" Matthias called from inside the kitchen.

"Yes, dear?" she replied.

"…The garbage disposal is spitting stuff up again…" Matthias said. His mother's smiled faded and she quickly walked back towards the kitchen.

"Matthias, have you been cramming things down it that I told you were too big?" she asked.

"Oops…" he said. Another pause. "Hey, mom?...How do you get tomato stains out of your white shirt?..." he asked reluctantly. His mother sighed knowingly. Only her son…

…

"So dear, did you hear anything interesting today?" she asked as she drove to the restaurant of her nephew's choosing.

"Eh…Not really." He said. Despite not really being able to see his Aunt's eyes due to the fact that she was wearing sunglasses so the glare of the other cars wouldn't strain them, he could feel her gaze just very occasionally flitting over to him.

"Oh?" she remarked. "You know, it occurred to me today that when your birthday comes next year, I'll bet twice as old as you." She said. "You're growing up on me."

"Well, you were only seventeen when my parents had me, right?" he said. She grew silent and nodded.

"Sorry about that." His Aunt said.

"No, it's fine."

* * *

AN: Debating on whether I should give the parents first name or not. I think I might just do the thing they did in 'The Grimm Adventures of Billy and Mandy' where you know the parent's first names but never their last names, only in reverse. Did that make sense?...


End file.
